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Outer Drive Under I-94 Finally Reopens, 4 Days After Flooding

ALLEN PARK (WWJ) - A section of Outer Drive that has been underwater for most of the week has finally reopened to traffic.

Cindy Dingell, with the Wayne County Department of Public Services, said the barricades on Outer Drive in Allen Park came down Friday morning, allowing traffic to freely pass under I-94.

The road has been closed since Monday, when record-breaking storms dumped over 6 inches of rain in places. The storms left five major freeways under several feet of water, forced thousands of people to abandon their water-logged cars, and flooded the basements of tens of thousands of people across the tri-county area.

The freeways were closed for two days while crews cleaned up the mess and assessed the damage.

MDOT estimates it will cost around half-a-million dollars by the time all cleanup and repairs are complete; but spokesperson Diane Cross said the freeway system "really did come out in good shape."

Gov. Rick Snyder declared an official disaster in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties; and states of emergency were declared in Macomb County, Oakland County, as well as the cities of Warren, Ferndale and Highland Park.

The National Weather Service said 4.57 inches of rain fell at Detroit Metro Airport, breaking the previous record of 2.06 inches set back in 1964. It's the second-highest one-day rainfall on record for Detroit, behind 4.74 inches that fell on July 31, 1925.

[Continuing Coverage: Metro Detroit Flood]

For the latest from the roads, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather on the 8s, 24-hours a day. Check for recent incidents now on the CBS Detroit Traffic Page.

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